St. Vrain Angler News & Muse May 17, 2005

Greetings!

Everyone, please give a hardy fly fishing "Hello!" to all of our new fellow readers, welcoming them aboard for a new issue of News & Muse. There are now over 3500 of you reading each week, and I hope this finds all of you doing well, enjoying the lovely if tempestuous spring we're having while planning your next fly fishing outing. Thanks for joining me each week. I love writing this missive and always hope it is entertaining and informative, a bright spot in your day. (Click the hyperlink on the picture for the full truth, nothing but the truth about that particular spot and the fish. Enjoy!)

Today is Rachel's 23rd birthday. I'm sure glad she was born that lovely day in Boulder, Colorado. Happy Birthday Rachel!

I changed the format of this missive last week in hopes of making the navigation easier. Just follow the heading links below for info on each topic and read at your leisure. I hope you'll read this tome in its entirety, and that you enjoy it as much as I like writing it for you to read.

Now is the time to join us for classes and guided trips. Both are designed and available to help you learn to cast, fish, read the water, understand the bugs, get the right fly to the right spot at the right time and so on. Almost everyone I know needs a casting class, and we have a Introduction to Fly Casting session this Saturday, May 21, 2005 in Longmont. We meet at the shop at 8:45AM and we'll complete the session by about 12:30 or so. We provide all of the equipment, so if you need a brush up or want to get started, please complete the form below and submit it, or give us a call at 303-651-6061. We'll get you fixed up in a hurry.

There's also a First Adventure in Fly Fishing Class scheduled for Sunday, May 22, 2005. This is our get started in fly fishing class, and it is loads of fun and very informative. There are two openings for that session and I'd really like you to join a friend and take this class. Again, drop me a line or call the shop at 303-651-6061.

I still have two openings for my On Water Line Control Class, which is scheduled for Sunday, May 22, 2005 as well.

Guided Trips can be arranged for you, or you and a friend at any time. Just drop me a line or call the shop to set your spot!

Follow the links so you understand what we offer in each session, then sign up by filling out the form below and submitting it. We'll give you a call to confirm your spot. Thanks!

As you may recall, the rejuvenated St. Vrain Anglers Chapter of Trout Unlimited just won The Most Improved Chapter at the recent CTU rendezvous. Cool beans. You might also recall the dandy work done recently with the Longmont Cleanup days, where the club had lots of folks turn out to clean trash from the St. Vrain through Longmont, and the River Project that they hosted in March. At that event, the club prepared to sample various areas on the stream to find out about water quality and bug life. Several local High School Biology classes participated and a fine time was had by all. The data collected is still coming in and is in the process of being dissected and organized into meaningful information that will used to help beautify the St. Vrain River. The hope is that there will be self-sustaining population of trout from Lyons through Longmont.

This is an active club that is going places, and doing the right things! Now, it's time to raise some money to keep the right things on the move.

It's time for you to be involved in the future of the St. Vrain. The St. Vrain Anglers TU club is hosting a delightful evening on Friday, May 20, 2005 at the Radisson Hotel in Longmont. The combination social, informational, fund raiser will be fun, entertaining and useful to all who attend, as well as to the positive future of the St. Vrain River. Here's the info that I have:

1. Friday, May 20, 2005. Radisson Hotel off Ken Pratt Boulevard in Longmont, Colorado. Entrance fee is $25.00 per person and includes food and raffle tickets for door prizes. Show up at 6:30 or so, eat some goodies and enjoy the festivities.

2. Featured speaker is AK Best, local fly tier, author and all-around find young man, who will share insight into his St. Vrain experiences. AK has donated flies that will be auctioned off, and we'll have signed copies of his books for sale and auction as well.

3. Lots of goodies in raffles, silent and live auctions.

4. Opportunities to sign up for upcoming events.

5. Much more! Please join the fun.

I'm donating lots of good things to help the cause. Included will be two sets of mounted flies that you'll be able to bid on. One is a set of Green Drake patterns, and the other a set of wet flies. Here are some pictures of the wets, which I hope you'll enjoy.

If you are unable to come to this special event and would like to support the St. Vrain Anglers TU Club, here's how you can do it!

Make a generous donation to the club. Consider $25.00, $50.00, $100.00, $250.00 or more. I'll tie one or more of the above flies and send them to you in recognition of your support, and send you a gift certificate to use in the shop during June, 2005. How's that?

Over the weekend, Shan and I drove to Sterling, Kansas to retrieve Brittany, who just finished her first year of college at Sterling College in Sterling, Kansas. We stayed on Saturday to hear Brittany play her trumpet with the band for the commencement exercises. It was the 113th occasion of this event. Pretty neat.

A famous and successful man presented the commencement speech and he said several things that stuck. See what you think.

1. Take care of your health. Rest. Recreate. Eat right. This was all quite convicting in my spirit, I'll tell you that.

2. Nurture relationships. It's most important. We'll make and spend or lose lots of money, have various jobs and live in several places during our lives. Good relationships last.

3. When making business and other decisions, know who the deal makers are and who the flakes are. He suggested making a list with deal makers on one page and flakes on the other. At the end of each week or month, tear up the list of flakes and never talk with them again about business issues. That was very interesting to think about.
    

It seems that each and every day some sort of conversation breaks out in the shop about one or another of the above topics: health, taking time to go fishing or camping or some such thing, and making decisions about business, jobs and so on. What to do?

First: one of the things that I've always felt is that the business I am in offers folks the opportunity to truly recreate. When I'm tying flies, preparing for a trip, driving to the fishing spot, and then fishing for a few hours or a few days, my mind is on that very thing. It's not on other stuff that clutters my head with garbage that probably won't mean a thing in another week or so. It clears my mind and allows it to rest and recreate, thinking of how to put the fly in such and such a spot, why a trout would be where it was when it took my fly, why squirrels fall out of trees into the water, and if they laugh after the event or just look around with an odd grimace on their face, hoping no one saw them slip and get wet. (I observed this one day on the Big Thompson and about split a gut laughing!)

Why do fish turn to take my fly, refuse it, and take a natural drifting adjacent to my fake, then turn and take my fake downstream a ways?

Why will birds eat naturals over and over again while fish eat my fake? Then, why did the bird I was wondering about dip down and take my fly? Stupid birds.

How is it that the sky will suddenly fill with seagulls before an emergence of Green Drakes begin, then start swirling down to the surface of the river to feed on the bugs as they being to emerge? How did they know the bugs would be hatching in that spot, on that day? Smart birds.

Why is it that I only fall into a river when someone turns to look my way, when they've been ignoring all the lovely trout I hooked earlier?

Why is it I go fishing so rarely when there is so much good water so near? This one really bugs me.

Fishing Reports continue to come in, and they are mixed. A few folks have caught some great bass on local ponds, and that's always good news. I'll bet the carp are back in the shallows, and our friend and carp instructor Andrew would love to take you out for a 4-hour session on casting, finding feeding fish, fly presentation and lots of fun. The wiper fishing has not happened, and continues to not happen according to what we're hearing. Oh well. A few large crappie have been hooked in local ponds, which is always good to hear as well. There are some smallmouth bass out there, too. Anyone been to Horsetooth Reservoir lately? Any smallies? That's a spot that needs some attention from a float tube, and soon.

Honholtz #3, Delaney Buttes and Spinney continue to produce good trout on flies from shore or from boats. Someone needs to go fish the inlet to 11-Mile Reservoir with a crawdad and hook a very big rainbow. Any volunteers for that job?

Water levels in certain streams are changing, and you'll want to stay posted on flows and water clarity. The word on the street - when you fly fish, you hang out in strange spots and think strange thoughts - is that the Arkansas is still clear and fishing well, although some folks seem to be missing the hatch. When that happens, fish the water! Force feed them bugs - fake bugs, that is. Folks down that way say that they expect one more week of good, clear water and then they expect runoff to begin. It's time to hit the Arkansas, my friend.

My Attractors Solutions Booklet will help you understand how to force feed trout with fakes. It will also explain how to tie a wide array of attractor patterns. You need a copy of this booklet. Please drop me a line at angler@peakpeak.com or call us at 303-651-6061 or 800-651-1770 to order your copy. We'll get it right out. For other options, please follow the link and read all about my Solution Booklets.

Thanks.

The Big Thompson continues to fish well, and parts of the St. Vrain are good, too. The water has come up in certain areas, so be prepared to try another spot. I'm not hearing much on the Poudre - any reports out there?

Eleven Mile Canyon has still been doing well. Beware the mud snails, and clean your gear. One fellow wrote to say that he'd bought a second pair of waders and was only going to wear his old pair in 11-Mile. Interesting idea. Still, clean stuff and let's do our part to keep them from spreading. Bad old mud snails.

It's a snook, from Ascension Bay. Want to go? Let me know.

I wonder how the Blue near Silverthorne is doing. It should have small mayflies emerging, as well as midges. This time of year someone usually hangs a really big trout near the top of the open fishing area.

I've gotten a few very good reports on the Colorado. How about you?

Frank's Flashy BH Fly Continues to work very well. Why not follow the link and tie a few for yourself? Be creative, and try various colors, sizes and so on. Enjoy!

You asked. We've got new St. Vrain Angler Logo Hats, Fleece and Polo Shirts in Longmont, and Estes Angler Hats in Estes Park. These are beautiful and economical. Stop by to get yours soon! Thanks.

More goodies continue to come in each week. WE have a full supply of Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Utah and New Mexico Gazetteer maps. that's a good thing, huh? They are only $19.95 and as long as a lady is in the car the map will get used and the crew will not get lost. I'll mark a few special fishing spots, if you'd like.

We have lots of fly tying supplies, and new William & Joseph Chest Packs in stock. Come on in and check everything out!

I hope to see you soon. This is about all that I've got for today, but I'll be in the shop most of the week.

Please join us Friday evening for the TU Auction. It's going to be lots of fun, and the club will genuinely appreciate your support. Sign up for a class and guided trip, and I'll talk with you again next week.

Thanks for reading.